Item
Bandages
Updated:
Stops bleeding on patients — the dedicated treatment for the Bleeding condition. Single-condition item with a clear primary use. Bandage cross changed from red to green on 6/23 for Geneva Convention compliance.
Overview
Bandages are the dedicated treatment for the Bleeding condition — a single-condition item with no off-label utility. Pick from the cabinet, apply to a bleeding patient, condition resolves. The simplicity is the point: Bandages don't have variant uses or strategic depth; they just do their one job reliably.
The one notable detail per Fandom trivia: the bandage cross icon changed from red to green on the 2026-06-23 patch for Geneva Convention compliance. The red cross is a protected symbol under international law; the green cross is the publicly-usable medical-symbol alternative. The visual change is cosmetic only — the mechanic and use case are unchanged.
Video Guide
Effect & Mechanics
- Treats the Bleeding patient condition
- Single-use per application
- Available from cabinet stock at shift start
- No off-label utility — single-condition only
When to Use vs Skip
Pros
- ✓ Patient displaying Bleeding condition symptoms (visible bleeding animation, blood texture)
- ✓ Confirmed Bleeding diagnosis via standard treatment workflow
Cons
- ✗ Patient has Bruises (use Medkit) or Burns/Rashes (use Ointment) — wrong-treatment penalty applies
- ✗ Patient is the Mad Patient anomaly — calming, not bandaging, is the counter
At a Glance
At a Glance
- Cost
- Free (cabinet stock)
- Type
- treatment
- Available from
- Shift 1
- Uses
- 1 per application
How to Use This Item
Pull a Bandage from the cabinet, approach the bleeding patient, apply. The condition resolves on application. No multi-step procedure, no timing window, no edge cases — just diagnose, pull, apply.
For team play: Bandages don't have any special sharing or staging mechanics. Each player carries from cabinet as needed. The Nurse class's +1 to +3 inventory expansion lets you carry multiple bandages alongside other treatment items, useful on shifts with multiple bleeding patients in queue.
Diagnostic discipline: confirm the patient is Bleeding (not Bruises or Burns) before applying. Wrong-treatment on a bleeding patient with the wrong item still counts as a wrong-treatment penalty, even if it's a treatment item. The condition discriminator is visual — bleeding shows blood texture; bruises show discolouration; burns/rashes show skin redness or marks.
Patch History
2026-06-23: Bandage cross icon changed from red to green for Geneva Convention compliance. Visual-only change — the mechanic and use case are unchanged. No documented balance changes to bandage application time or effectiveness.
Item Synergies
Frequently Asked Questions
- Bleeding. Single-condition item — Bandages don't treat bruises (use Medkit) or burns (use Ointment).
- Standard treatment cabinet stock, available from the start of the run. Free to use.
- The 2026-06-23 patch changed the cross icon from red to green for Geneva Convention compliance. The red cross is a protected international symbol; the green cross is publicly usable. Mechanic unchanged.
- No — Mad Patient is an anomaly, not a treatable condition. Use Calming Meds or isolate in a secure room. Bandages on a Mad Patient is a wrong-treatment penalty.
- No — use Ointment for burns/rashes. Bandages are bleeding-specific. Wrong-treatment penalty applies if you mix the two.
What condition do Bandages treat?
Where do I get Bandages?
Why did the bandage icon change colour?
Can I use Bandages on a Mad Patient?
Do Bandages work on burns?
Single-purpose, single-application
Bandages do one thing — treat the Bleeding condition. There's no off-label combat use, no secondary application against an enemy or event. The straightforward item-to-condition map.
When to actually carry one
Pre-shift loadout decisions favour items with multiple uses (Maple Syrup, Eye Drops, Coffee). Bandages are situational — useful when a bleeding patient is in your queue, otherwise dead weight in inventory. The pragmatic approach is to fetch Bandages from the cabinet when needed rather than pre-loading them.
The exception is ambulance waves at Shift 4+. The surge often includes bleeding patients, and the round-trip cost during the surge outweighs the slot cost beforehand.
Sources: Sportskeeda items guide, Nerdschalk items guide.